Chapter 2119: Chosen Peace
Chapter 2119: Chosen Peace
"Yes, we will handle everything, and only ask you to provide manpower... orcpower to help. Your people invading other worlds had become such a massive problem that it had to be addressed by someone, and we’re going to do that and establish peace." Isdis glared at the King and Queen. "I believe that neither of you has anything against gaining stability for your people."
The Queen looked at Isdis for a second, then shifted her gaze toward Eris and Arad. "I guess that the power of the gods is just that vast. We are indeed interested in stability, a future where our people don’t need to starve or live through endless wars and bloodshed just to fill their bellies."
The King followed right after her with a cold voice. "While to other aliens, we are a disaster that can strike once in their entire existence, we orcs have seen each one of those wars. Every decade, every year, and every month. Millions of orcs are born and killed in battle."
"An orc is born, and at three years old, they’ll carry their first weapon. By the age of seven, they’ll be going through war drills day and night. At ten years old, they are adults, and by the age of fifteen, they’ll be deployed into their first war. Many never make it back, and that is by design. As cruel as it is, a dead orc can’t reproduce and make more orcs; that’s fewer mouths to feed." The Queen spoke in a slow, even voice.
"Billions of orcs die in battle to procure food for the few thousands that survive. It is a sad, cruel, and pathetic existence. If we could have made it end, we would’ve already done it." The King sighed.
Arad looked at them, the glimmer in his eyes burning with a faint, unaffable light. "It was fated that one day, you’ll hit a world that won’t lose. Even if the chance was too small to be noticed, you must have known." He shifted his gaze a bit. "One day, you’ll invade a world, get invaded right back, and end up driven into extinction. I alone could’ve wiped your entire race if I wanted to."
Eris understood what Arad was getting at, so she spoke. "Did you leave anything, anyone?"
"We didn’t. Our kind’s genes are already messed up; we cannot stop multiplying and would eventually become too much of a burden for any world we land on. Just two orcs can turn into a titanic colony in a few decades. We can even give birth on our own sometimes; there is no way to stop our kind’s cancerous expansion."
"If we manage to get a new orc god, then we should be able to solve that through their power." Arad looked at the King and Queen with a smile. "It is true that you have messed up with your own flesh, but that shouldn’t be too much for a divine to handle. You people can survive more easily if we find that portfolio." Arad then leaned forward, "But that doesn’t mean it is the only option."
"Strict regulation and rules: we have to limit our own birthrate to the ground and rely on your empire’s grace for centuries to slowly stabilize. That won’t just put us in debt but into servitude." The King growled, "I don’t even know if that will work."
"It doesn’t matter which one it would be." Arad stood and leaned on the table. "What matters is that it’s a solution that allows your kind to exist and even thrive. Compared to the other option, which is me erasing everything here to keep my own people safe."
Arad’s words weren’t a threat but just stated the factual reality. The orcs cannot fight him; antagonizing him was stupid, and the fact that he didn’t erase them already after invading the mortal world was a miracle. The King and Queen knew that, because if they were in his place, they would’ve already erased the invaders.
They live and die by his whims, and have managed to get lucky enough to kick the bomb and not have it explode. Just the same as with the higher-ups, Arad wasn’t here for negotiations; he was here to explain what was going to happen to the King and Queen and potentially to have their input on the matter. That was far more grace than anyone would have ever cared to give. They lost, yet he still treats them with enough respect.
"We got it." The King spoke, "Vega, deliver my word to everyone. If Emperor Arad says jump, you ask how high. If his queens say to charge, you better be already running."
"Already delivered, and we’re getting positive responses from most of the region leaders. Those who refused are already dying, slain by the white reaper." As Vega’s voice boomed, the King sighed, "The white reaper. He is your brother, right?"
"Older brother." Arad rested his fists on his hips and glared down at the King with a slightly tilted head and white eyes. "Any problem?" Isdis and Eris could see and hear the muscles on Arad’s body expanding, as if they were barely able to contain his immense bulk. He wasn’t squaring up to the Orc King but to the entire Orc kind.
Arad had already looked at both sides and decided to help both his brother and the orcs, and that is what he is trying to do now. If the orcs who refused to cooperate decided to fight against his brother, the side he was picking was clear from the very start.
It was at the next moment that Isdis realised something: Arad wasn’t the only one squaring up for a fight; Eris and Mathilde were doing the same.
Eris, who still sat gently on her chair, wasn’t so gentle after all. The skin beneath her clothes could barely hold the explosive energy of her star, and it was clear from looking at her closed eyes that an immense heat was hiding behind them, like the closed door of a titanic forge. Her arms were crossed beneath her massive chest, and she had one leg resting on the other, gently swaying her foot, which caused everything in the room to slightly twitch with each move due to the leaking gravity.
But the part that made even Isdis horrified was that Eris was, in fact, drooling and dripping wet just from thinking about murdering every single living orc out there. All of those lives, billions, she can just... slaughter them all. That murderous impulse was probably far harder to contain than the swelling heat of her purple star.
Mathilde was no better, as, unlike Eris, she couldn’t hide the twisted, sadistic grin on her face. She only wore skimpy clothes as usual; the large, shredded muscles on her legs and glutes were clearly visible as they tensed and relaxed. She gently lifted her foot up and slowly tapped the ground, rubbing her toes on the steel floor, before repeating the same motion over and over while looking at the ceiling.
She was clearly imagining herself stepping on the orcs and crushing them like bugs beneath her feet. If they just fight back, she could spend the entire night crushing them one after another, and to fight beside Arad, Beside AO... that was already tingling more than a few strings inside her mind.
But the one who horrified Isdis the most was herself. As she couldn’t stop frothing over enslaving all of the orcs and putting them under her Control. That would be the best way to empower her Control Divine Portfolio and set a name for herself. She wasn’t angry at Arad, Eris, and Matilda for wanting to kill the orcs, but was angry because dead orcs cannot be enslaved by her.
Just as Eris struggled with murder, Isdis knew she would struggle to master her divine portfolio. So biting the underside of her lips, Isdis tapped Arad on the back, and threw a sharp glare at the orc King.
"The orcs who refused peace aren’t under your protection, right? Those who seek to prolong your kind’s suffering shall be allowed to indulge in war as much as they’d love. Gojo’s kingdom was attacked, and he is attacking back. Let those people fight him as much as they want." She then put just a bit of force on Arad’s shoulder, and he backed away, relaxing all of his muscles.
"Peace was never an option for them. You should not drag everyone else to doom because of them." She then smiled, "But if you choose war over peace, I’ll happily make you choose peace."
The King smiled. "I was about to say the same. Those who disobey my orders are no longer under the protection of my rule. If they wanted to die fighting, then let their wishes become true."
While Isdis was relieved, she could clearly see how disappointed Eris and Mathilde were. The two really wanted to rampage a bit, but were denied that wish. Isdis herself felt a hint of disappointment deep within her heart. If she had enslaved all of the orcs, that could be enough to instantly propel her into the realm of the higher divines. She had chosen peace over domination and power, and she didn’t know if that was a wise decision or not.
"Then we are done here for now." Arad smiled, "We will stay in contact in case any trouble arises. But for now, we should let the spirits do their work in peace."